Rise of a King
by Lionmanepoc
Summary: With new evils on the Great Sea, a young man will rise to make history.


"BIG BROTHER!"

The shout wakes me from the admittedly light sleep I was in. The first thing I notice is the harsh storm outside my window. The rain is hitting the side of our little cabin like tiny cannonballs from a pirate ship. I hadn't had a good night's rest in about a month, and it was usually on stormy nights like this that I had the most issues sleeping. I felt like I could still hear the screams of everyone from that day on the wind. Speaking of having issues sleeping, I remember what actually woke me up. Sleep now being pushed away from my priorities, I rush to my sister's room.

The only thing I can think of that would cause her to scream in such a desperate way are the memories. My sister is such a bright person and one of the last bright lights in my life. As any good big brother, I have to be the person that will protect her light even if it's from herself.

I barge into her room and am saddened by the sight. Aryll is crying and holding her stuffed toy close. A deku shrub that our mother sewed together for her. She never went to bed without it as it was her best form of comfort at night. As a kid you take what you can get when the people that used to tuck you in aren't around anymore.

"Aryll, I'm here. Don't worry" I softly say as I sit on the side of her bed, "There's no need to cry."

Without saying anymore words, Aryll puts her deku down and lunges at me. She wastes no time putting me in a death grip hug and starts crying herself to exhaustion. Sometimes that's all she needs. Just a good cry while being held. The only difference is who holds her, Grandma or me.

"Why won't the nightmares stop?" She asks quietly as her sobs lessen.

I don't have an answer for her question. If I knew, I would have made them stop for everyone that suffered that night, myself included. I think she knows that her question has no answer as she goes to the real source of our nightmares, pain, and her current tears.

"Why did we have to lose mom and dad?"

That question hits home as I hold her closer. I hold back my own growing tears as anger and sadness mix into one. I slowly get control of myself as I remind myself that I need to be strong. Not just for myself, but for my family.

"I don't know why we lost them, but I know they wouldn't want us to dwell on it." I try to reassure her.

"But what am I supposed to do, brother?" she almost begs.

"We look to the future." I finally say.

She looks up confused, but at least she's distracted enough to stop crying. I'm not certain what the future has for us, but I know I need to paint a better picture than what we see for us now. I need to replace this dark, foreboding storm cloud with a shining sunrise to show her that hope and determination are all we need to get through this.

"Aryll, what do you want to do?" I suddenly ask.

She looks up, confused. Her bright eyes full of curiosity now, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, in the future, what do you want to do? Do you wanna set sail on a big ship looking for treasure? Or maybe become a brave hero saving people across the ocean? What do you wanna do, Aryll?" I feel a smile growing on my face as I start making myself excited.

Her face adopts a thoughtful expression as she considers it. Her faces lights up as she looks at me again, "Why do I have to do one thing?"

That answer is just what I wanted. Hope. It's a small spark, but a spark nonetheless, "You don't!" I exclaim happily, "You can be whatever you want and go as far as you want!"

We spend the next hour discussing what we want to do with our lives. We make up heroic tales for our future adventurers, interesting dungeons for them to explore, and, of course, wonderful treasures to find. Not too long after, I see her eyes are growing heavy. I smile softly and help her back into bed. As her eyes close and she grips her little deku shrub, I tuck her in and kiss her forehead. I make my way out of the room slowly hoping not to disturb her new found dreams.

"I love you, big brother." I hear behind me.

I turn around surprised at first, but can't help and smile, "I love you too, Aryll."

With her lightly snoring, I close the door behind me. As I turn around, I notice Grandma smiling off to the side.

She comes close and hugs me, "I'm so proud of you, Link, and I'm sure your parents would be proud of you too. You have a strong heart."

Hearing those words makes me choke up a bit. Even though I don't trust my voice, I answer, "Thank you Grandma."

Just smiling in the same comforting way she always does she leads me back to my room. As we travel the short distance to my room, I feel the excitement that kept me so full of energy dying away and a difficult to ignore feeling of weariness settling in. I lie down and am suddenly surprised when Grandma repeats what I had just done for my sister and tucks me in. I smile as the feeling of much needed sleep grips me and I drift into fantastic dreams of the adventures I was to have with my little sister.


End file.
